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Maximal rate of heart rate increase correlates with fatigue/recovery status in female cyclists

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Abstract

Purpose

Being able to identify how an athlete is responding to training would be useful to optimise adaptation and performance. The maximal rate of heart rate increase (rHRI), a marker of heart rate acceleration has been shown to correlate with performance changes in response to changes in training load in male athletes; however, it has not been established if it also correlates with performance changes in female athletes.

Methods

rHRI and cycling performance were assessed in six female cyclists following 7 days of light training (LT), 14 days of heavy training (HT) and a 10 day taper period. rHRI was the first derivative maximum of a sigmoidal curve fit to R-R data recorded during 5 min of cycling at 100 W. Cycling performance was assessed as work done (kJ) during time-trials of 5 (5TT) and 60 (60TT) min duration.

Results

5TT was possibly decreased at HT (ES ± 90% confidence interval = − 0.16 ± 0.25; p = 0.60), while, 5TT and 60TT very likely to almost certainly increased from HT to taper (ES = 0.71 ± 0.24; p = 0.007 and ES = 0.42 ± 0.19; p = 0.02, respectively). Large within-subject correlations were found between rHRI, and 5TT (r = 0.65 ± 0.37; p = 0.02) and 60TT (r = 0.70 ± 0.31; p = 0.008).

Conclusions

rHRI during the transition from rest to light exercise correlates with training induced-changes in exercise performance in females, suggesting that rHRI may be a useful monitoring tool for female athletes.

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Abbreviations

FOR:

Functional overreaching

NFOR:

Non-functional overreaching

OTS:

Overtraining syndrome

ANS:

Autonomic nervous system

HR:

Heart rate

HRR:

Heart rate recovery

HRV:

Heart rate variability

rHRI:

Maximal rate of heart rate increase

LT:

7 day, light training period

HT:

14 day, heavy training period

5TT:

5 min maximal cycling time-trial

60TT:

60 min maximal cycling time-trial

kJ:

Kilojoules

W:

Watts

TRIMP:

Training impulse

Bpm:

Beats per minute

SD:

Standard deviation

ES:

Effect size

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from the Australian Research Council (LP140101013) in partnership with Polar Electro Oy and the South Australian Sports Institute. Researcher Nelson was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship from the Australian Commonwealth Government, and researcher Bellenger was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship from the Australian Commonwealth Government and a research scholarship from the South Australian Sports Institute. We would like to thank Polar Electro Oy for providing the HR monitors used in the study, and the South Australian Sports Institute for providing a facility for data collection.

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Author notes

  1. Maximillian J. Nelson and Clint R. Bellenger are joint first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Maximillian J. Nelson, Clint R. Bellenger, Rebecca L. Thomson, Kade Davison & Jonathan D. Buckley

  2. South Australian Sports Institute, Adelaide, Australia

    Clint R. Bellenger & Eileen Y. Robertson

  3. Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland

    Daniela Schäfer Olstad

Authors
  1. Maximillian J. Nelson
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  2. Clint R. Bellenger
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  3. Rebecca L. Thomson
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  4. Eileen Y. Robertson
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  5. Kade Davison
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  6. Daniela Schäfer Olstad
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  7. Jonathan D. Buckley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maximillian J. Nelson.

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Conflict of interest

The University of South Australia has applied for a patent on the rHRI technology described in this manuscript, and researchers Davison and Buckley are employees of the University. Researcher Schäfer Olstad is an employee of Polar Electro Oy.

Additional information

Communicated by Keith Phillip George.

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Nelson, M.J., Bellenger, C.R., Thomson, R.L. et al. Maximal rate of heart rate increase correlates with fatigue/recovery status in female cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 2425–2431 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3728-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3728-4

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